Dewatering device for adjustable blade rotary hydraulic machines



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DRAINAGE April 28, 1953 R.

DEWATERING DEVICE FOR ADJUSTABLE BLADE ROTARY HYDRAULIC MACHINES Flled Dec. 11, 1946 April 28, 1953 R. a. WILL] 2,636,714

DEWATERING DEVICE FOR ADJUSTABLE BLADE ROTARY HYDRAULIC MACHINES Filed Dec. 11, 1946 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 31 TANK OIL Fl L LER TA NK WA TEE DRA MAGE Ti -E INVENTOR RICHARD B. WILL! ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 28, 1953 DEWATERING DEVICE FOR ADJUSTABLE BLADE ROTARY HYDRAULIC MACHINES Richard B. Willi, Norristown, Pa., assignor to Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 11, 1946, Serial No. 715,463

Claims. (01. 253-448) This invention relates to rotary hydraulic machines and more particularly to improved means for tie-watering the oil in and supplying oil to runner hubs of adjustable runner blade propeller type hydraulic turbines and pumps.

In the operation of this type of machine, of whichhydraulic turbines may be used as an example, leakage of water into, and of lubricating oil out of, the runner hub occurs through the wearing of the seals positioned between the cylindrical shanks of the runner blades and the walls of the hub recesses in which the runner blade shanks are rotatably mounted for automatic adjustment of pitch. As there is a plurality of runner blades on a runner hub, all of whose seals are subject to wear, water may leak into the runner hub through some of said seals while at the same time lubricating oil may leak out of the runner hub through some of the other seals. This results not only in a watering of the lubricating oil remaining in the runner hub but also in its gradual depletion. Water leaking into the runner hub flows downwardly by gravity and, its specific gravity being heavier than oil, collects at a low point within the runner hub, displacing the lubricating oil in this area and exposing the metal casing and mechanism within the runner hub to the corrosive action of the water.

The method heretofore used for de-watering and replenishing the lubricating oil in the runner hub required the complete stoppage of the turbine, resulting in loss of time and of money. For instance, when the machine was shut down for de-watering purposes, lubricating oil was injected under pressure into the runner hub through the space in the bore of the main shaft surrounding the loose-fitting blade-adjusting rod disposed therein, which space for convenience is hereinafter referred to as the annulus, causing the accumulated water at the bottom of the runner hub to be forced upwardly through a ole-watering pipe into a longitudinal passage or channel in the main shaft and thence through an outlet nozzle in the side of the main shaft. The appearance of oil, instead of water, in the outlet nozzle signified that the de-watering and replenishing of the lubricating oil had been completed. Only then could the turbine again be put into operation.

It is an object of my invention to provide means for de-Watering and replenishing the oil in the runner hub of hydraulic machine of the type described without the necessity of shutting down the machine to perform these operations.

A further object is to provide improved means whereby the} oil within the hub will be under a lower pressure than has been heretofore possible, thereby reducing leakage of oil through the runner blade shank seals.

A further object is to provide improved means for preventing leaking oil, used in the governor system for actuating the blade adjusting servomotor which is customarily disposed in the main A further object is to provide improved means,

accomplishing the above mentioned objects, that are simple in design, reliable in action, and inexpensive in construction and operation.

Other objects and advantages will be more apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description of the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the lower end of a propeller type hydraulic turbine, employing my invention, showing the main shaft, the runner hub and blades of such turbine;

Fig. 2 is a detailed sectional view of the four tanks I employ in my invention, disposed about the main shaft of the turbine; and

Fig. 3 is a modification of my arrangement! In the particular embodiment of the invention disclosed herein merely for the purpose of illustrating one specific form among possible others that the invention might take in practice, I show in Fig. 1 the lower end of a usual propeller type hydraulic turbine well known in the art, comprising in the main a vertically disposed main shaft l rotatable within a bearing 2 and flanged at its lower end to support a runner hub 3 by bolts 4.

Two of a plurality of runner blades 5, 5, have cylindrical shanks 6 rotatably mounted in annular recesses l in runner hub 3. Blade shank seals 8, 8 are designed to exclude water from the runner axially extending bore 9 in the main shaft is an operating rod 9, rotatable with the main shaft but also capable of reciprocating movement therein. The lower end of operating rod 9 is bolted to a 3 cross-head It which is connected to the shank of each runner blade by an eye bolt ii, a link i2,

and a lever it, while its upper end (not shown in the drawing) is in engagement with a governor system, actuating a servo-motor in the main shaft. This governor system, by means of oper ating rod 9, causes the pitch of said runner blades to be varied in accordance with power demands. A usual stationary head cover I l supports the bearing shell 2 and forms one of the walls of the water passage leading to the runner.

To attain certain of the specific objects of my invention, I form an oil supply passage [5 and a discharge passage iii in the main shaft, both passages being drilled into the shaft from its lower butt end and rotating with the main shaft. Supply passage extends upwardly through the main shaft to a point at a convenient distance above bearing shell 2 in head cover id, then turns through an angle of approximately to continue radially to the outside of the main shaft, forming an inlet ll, as shown in the drawings. De-watering passage it also extends upwardly through the main shaft but terminates at a point somewhat lower than the level of inlet i? of oil supply passage it, then turns at right angles to continue radially to the outside of the main shaft, forming an outlet into which a nozzle [8 is fitted to rotate with the shaft. The lower end of oil supply passage [5 opens into the runner hub 3 while ports such as I 9 and 2B permit free circulation of lubricating oil throughout the runner hub. The lower end of de-watering passage [6 has a pipe 2| terminating at its lower open end in a sump 22.

The runner hub is normally filled with lubrieating oil from a floor 23 to a level indicated at A in Fig. 1. The centrally located well 2d forms not only the sump 22 but also receives and guides a tubular extension of crosshead it and is normally filled with oil through a breathing hole 25 in said tubular extension. Water may also seep into the sump 22 between the tubular extension and the walls of said well. A valve 26 permits the drainage of all oil from the runner hub. When water leaks into the runner hub through worn seals, it travels downwardly through the oil, the specific gravity thereof being heavier than that of the oil, and displaces the oil in the hub starting from the lowermost portion thereof. The arrows in Fig. 1 indicate the direction of water leaking through blade shank seals 8, 8.

In case the governor oil and hub oil are of different kinds, the annular space between operating rod 9 and the Walls of the bore of the main shaft is sealed by a bushing or seal ring 2? pressed within the flanged end of the main shaft. This prevents oil leakage from the governor system draining into the runner hub. A horizontal passage 28, to the outer end of which a nozzle 29 is screw-threaded or otherwise attached, serves as an overflow to dispose of excess oil leakage from the servo-motor when the level of such oil in the annulus reaches passage 28.

Rigidly affixed to the outer surface of the main shaft so that it has rotation therewith is a cylindrical oil filler tank 30, whose inner wall is formed by the wall of the main shaft. This tank is made in halves with means, such as the flanges shown in Fig. 2 for securing the halves together about the main shaft. The tank is so positioned longitudinally on the main shaft that inlet ll of oil supply passage 15 is at or near the bottom of said tank. The location of inlet l'i toward the bottom of the tank and the inclination of the upper part of oil supply passage 15 are necessary to overcome the action of centrifugal force, generated by the rotation of oil filler tank 30 with the main shaft, in tending to force oil in said tank toward the outer walls thereof and away from inlet ll. Oil is supplied to oil filler tank 30 by a pipe 30 from a stationary oil storage tank 3|, located above the oil filler tank, the pipe 30 communicating with tank 33 through a free open circular space, in the tank top, immediately surrounding the shaft. A manually operated valve 32 on said pipe controls the amount of oil to oil filler tank 30.

Disposed about the main shaft in slightly spaced relation thereto, are two stationary circular tanks, one being a servo-motor oil drainage tank 33, placed beneath oil filler tank 30, and the other being a water drainage tank 34, set below servo-motor oil drainage tank 33. As shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the drainage tanks 33 and 34 are so disposed longitudinally of the shaft that nozzles i8 and 29, affixed to the main shaft, are able to rotate freely within said tanks upon r0- tation of the main shaft. Drain valves 35 and 36, connected into these two stationary tanks, provide a simple and convenient Way of drawing off the oil and water that will accumulate therein. These stationary tanks 33 and 34 are also made in halves with means, such as the flanges shown in Fig. 2, for securing the halves together when disposed about the main shaft. In the drawings these two drainage tanks are shown with their outer walls made one cylindrical piece flanged at its lower end and bolted to bearing shell 2 by bolts 31. Any other method of constructing these tanks and of securing them in stationary position may, however, be employed. Appropriate covers for the above tanks, such as those shown in the drawings, may b used to exclude dust and dirt from the lubricating oil.

Operation-4n Fig. 1, I indicate possible levels of the oil and water in the runner hub, A representing the level of the lubricating oil when the hub is completely filled; B, a level to which the oil may have fallen by reason of the leakage from the hub through worn blade shank seals; and C, a level to which the water that has leaked into the hub through saidseals may have risen in the hub. 13 represents the level of the lower open end of de-watering pipe 2 I.

To de-water and replenish the lubricating oil in the runner hub while the turbine is in operation, lubricating oil is permitted to flow by gravity from stationary oil storage tank 3| through valve 32 into rotating oil filler tank 30. From this rotating tank the oil flows by gravity into inlet ii and down oil supply passage 15 to enter the runner hub and mix with the oil already therein. The lubricating oil thus added to the runner hub will raise the level of the oil from B to A. When the oil has reached level A, the continued introduction of oil into the runner hub causes the fluid in tie-watering pipe 2| to rise and enter de-watering passage 16, the reason being that, since bushing cr seal ring 2! now seals the annulus, de-watering pipe 2| offers the only exit for the fluid. As the upper ends of both oil-supply passage E5 and de-watering pipe it are open to the atmosphere, the fluid in dewateringpassage It seeks to reach a level which will balance the two columns of fluid. The radial passage at the upper end of de-watering passage It discharges the fluid through rotating nozzle 18 into stationary water drainage tank 34, to be 5, drawn off through drain valve 36 when convenient and without stopping the turbine. The process above described will continue until all water above level D, has been discharged from the runner hub. Not only will the lubricating oil therein have been de-watered but it will also have been replenished to level A. It will be understood that the filler tank 30 is high enough above the discharge pipe I8 to compensate for the difference in specific gravity of the oil and water, thereby to insure that the head of oil in passage l will be sufficient to force the water up to pipe 18. However, the elevation of the filler tank will be sufficiently low so that a minimum pressure will be maintained in the hub, thereby reducing outward leakag of oil through the blade shank bearings.

In the modification shown in Fig. 3 I utilize the broad principles of my invention while at the same time lubricating the mechanism within the hub with the same kind of oil as used in the blade operating servo-motor. In this manner, I am able to avoid the use of a bushing such as 2?, Fig. 1, and instead have the annular space 9' continuously open at all times from the interior of hub 3 and up through shaft I to the usual servomotor cylinder, not shown, from which leakage oil will gravitate to the hub. In order to de-water the hub, the structure and mode of operation is employed for supplying oil under pressure from the filler tank 30 down through shaft passage $5 to force oil from sump 22 upwardly through pipe 2| and drainage outlet IE to stationary tank 34. Thus, in my modification the outlet 28 of Fig. 1

and servo-motor drainage tank 33 have been omitted. In this way the servo-motor drainage is combined with the de-Watering operation during continuous operation of the machine. All other parts and mode of operation are identical and, hence, the same reference numerals are used for corresponding parts.

From the disclosure herein it is seen that I have provided a simple, reliable and efficient means for de-watering and replenishing the lubricating oil in runner hubs or rotary hydraulic machines, and particularly propeller type hydraulic turbines; also a simple and inexpensive means for excluding oil leaking through the annulus from entering the runner hub.

It will, of course, be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in the construction and arrangements of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A rotary hydraulic machine of the adjustable blade propeller type comprising, in combination, a main shaft, a hollow runner hub secured to said shaft and having a plurality of adjustable runner blades, mechanism within said hub for adjusting said blades, passage means communicating with a low point of the interior of said hub and extending upwardly through said shaft for rotation therewith, an outlet extending from the upper end of said passage means for rotation therewith and being open during such rotation so that it can discharge while the machine is in operation, and means adapted during rotation of the shaft to supply a head of oil to the interior of the hub sufficient to force an accumulation of water in the lower part of the runner hub upwardly through the discharge passage means to its outlet, said means for supplying a head of oil to the interior of the hub including a filler tank Secured to the main shaft for rotation therewith 61 and a passage extending longitudinally through the main shaft and having communication-at one end with said filler tank and at the other end with the interior of the hub. i

2. A rotaryhydraulic machine of the adjustable blade propeller type comprising, in combination, a main shaft, a hollow runnerhub secured to said shaft and having a plurality of adjustable runner blades, mechanism within said hub for adjusting said blades, passage means communicating with alowpoint of the interior of said hub and extending upwardly through said shaft for rotation therewith, an outlet extending from the upper end of said passage means forrotation therewith and being open during suchrotation so that it can discharge while the machine isin operation, and means adapted during rotation of the shaft to supply a head of oil to the interior of the hub sufiicient to force an accumulation of water in the lower part of the runner hub. upwardly through the discharge passage means to its outlet, said mean for supplying a head of oil to the interior of the hub including a filler tank secured to the main shaft for rotation therewith and a supply passage extending longitudinally through the main shaft and having communication at one end with said filler tank and at the other end with the interior of the hub, and the upper end of said supply passage being inclined downwardly from the outside of the shaft toward the longitudinal portion of the supply passage.

3. A rotary hydraulic machine of the adjustable blade propeller type comprising, in combination, a main shaft, a hollow runner hub secured to said shaft and having a plurality of adjustable runner blades, mechanism within said hub for adjusting said blades, passage means communicating with a low point of the interior of said hub and extending upwardly through said shaft for rotation therewith, an outlet extending from the upper end of said passage means for rotation therewith and being open during such rotation so that it can discharge while the machine is in operation, and means adapted during rotation of the shaft to supply a head of oil to the interior of the hub sufficient to force an accumulation of water in the lower part of the runner hub upwardly through the discharge passage means to its outlet, said means for supplying a head of oil to the interior of the hub including a filler tank secured to the main shaft for rotation therewith and a passage extending longitudinally through the main shaft and having communication at one end with said filler tank and at the other end with the interior of the hub, the filler tank having an annular opening adjacent the shaft periphery, and a stationary supply pipe being provided communicating with said filler tank through said annular opening.

a. In a rotary hydraulic machine of the adjustable blade propeller type having a main shaft with a longitudinal bore therein, a hollow hub attached to said shaft and provided with 9, plurality of adjustable runner blades, a blade operating rod disposed in said bore, an oil filler tank disposed about and afiixed to the main shaft for rotation therewith, means for supplying oil to said tank while rotating, an oil supply passage rotatable with the main shaft and extending from the filler tank through the main shaft to the interior of the runner hub, a de-watering pipe rotatable with the main shaft and having its lower end open at a low point in the runner hub, and a de-watering passage rotatable with and extending through the main shaft from the upper end of'said tie-watering pipe to an outlet continuously open during shaft rotation, said outlet being located at a point lower than the oil filler tank so as to produce flow of fluid through said outlet when oil is introduced into the hub through the oil supply pipe.

5. In a rotary hydraulic machine of the adjustable blade propeller type having a main shaft with a longitudinal bore therein, a hollow hub attached thereto and provided with a plurality of adjustable runner blades, a blade-operating rod disposed in said bore, an oil filler tank disposed about and afiixed to the main shaft for rotation therewith, means for supplying oil to the tank while rotating, an oil supply passage rotatable with the main shaft and extending from the oil filler tank through the main shaft to the interior of the runner hub, a ole-watering pipe rotatable with the main shaft and having its lower end open at a low point in the runner hub, a tie-watering passage rotatable with and extending through the main shaft from the upper end of the de-watering pipe to an outlet continuously open during shaft rotation, said outlet being located at a point lower than the oil filler tank, a stationary water drainage tank disposed about the main shaft and into which the tie-watering channel discharges while rotating, means for sealing said bore against the flow of oil therethrough, and a stationary oil drainage tank disposed about the main shaft for receiving fluid discharged from said bore.

RICHARD B. WILLI.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 7 Date 2,070,601 Jersop et a1. Feb. 16, 1937 2,073,044 Andrews Mar. 9, 1937 2,079,766 Jersop et a1. May 11, 1937 2,035,986 Levier July 6, 1937 2,090,093 Andrews Aug. 17, 1937 2,321,950 Sharp et a1. June 15, 1943 

